28629
Seminar
SoSe 16: Who do you think you are? TV Documentaries on Family Histories
Nicholas Boston
Comments
This course explores the phenomenon of genealogical research and its uptake and treatment in and by entertainment and news media, literature and film. It takes an interdisciplinary approach to address, 1) the production and popularization of genealogy research as a television genre; 2) the history of genealogical themes in American popular media and literature, from the miniseries Roots (1977) to the present; 3) the commercial links the genre presently has to actual research-enabling technology and software (such as that offered at Ancestry.com) and DNA testing services; 4) key themes running across different cultures and societies that get personalized and differently illuminated by genealogical research, such as freedom and slavery, "passing" and mixing, immigration and nationalism, gender equality, etc.; and, finally, 5) the underlying cultural reasons why, at this particular point in time, genealogy would seem an appealing or rewarding pursuit in society. close
15 Class schedule
Regular appointments
Wed, 2016-04-20 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-04-27 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-05-04 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-05-11 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-05-18 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-05-25 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-06-01 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-06-08 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-06-15 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-06-22 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-06-29 16:00 - 18:00
Fri, 2016-07-01 12:00 - 14:00
Tue, 2016-07-05 14:00 - 16:00
Wed, 2016-07-06 16:00 - 18:00
Wed, 2016-07-20 16:00 - 18:00